THE HISTORY OF CHAIRS (CHINESE FURNITURE)
A chair in our present society has been simply perceived to be a sitting apparatus that can be used by anyone irrespective of age and size. However, this was not the case in traditional Chinese homes. It was customary to sit on the floor rather than use chairs. Chinese furniture has since then been greatly influenced by its predecessors in earlier times such as the Tang dynasty, Song dynasty and the Ming dynasty. Construction of chairs was mainly based on the frame and panel design. (Sullivan, 2000).Stools first emerged during the Tang dynasty of 618-907 BC. This was a foreign practice that was adopted from interaction with outside communities therefore replacing some of the ancient practices. Chinese people’s living style changed from sitting on the floor to sitting on high chairs. Typical tall furniture, such as long-legged chairs, stools and tables, appeared in the furniture market and became popular with the upper classes. During this period of time both short and tall furniture were in fashion in Chinese society. These chairs were mostly used by elite members of the society (Ecke, 1986).
It was then followed by the Song dynasty of 960BC-1279 AD. The use of different forms of furniture spread throughout common society during this dynasty such as chairs, stools, benches among other types of furniture. Complex designs were limited to the more elite members of society. Here, some of the designs that were introduced were recessed legs as well as waisted tables. (Ecke, 1986). Song texts refer the armrests to be made of bent wood and bamboo. During this time, they embraced chairs of beautiful well-rounded and robust forms that were smoothly finished with thick lacquer coatings and finely detailed with painted decoration. An example is the horseshoe armchair.
The flourishing of Chinese furniture was at its peak during the Ming dynasty of 1368-1644 AD. Designers embraced beautiful curvature and were so good that the use of nails and glue became merely for show. Most of the designs employed during the Ming dynasty influenced Western designs. For instance, the curved backrest was introduced in China. This was way before the rest of the world could acquire it both for comfort as well as aesthetic value (Sullivan, 2000).
During this dynasty, their furniture was made from timber of tough quality, high strength, beautiful color and fine grain size such as; zelkova, elm and pine and yellow rosewood. Tropical hardwoods also started being used when the ban on imports was lifted. The chairs designed were graceful in their simplicity which made them become more than just functional objects but also objects of beauty.
Chinese Hardwood Armchair
(Davies, 2011)
References
Ecke G. (1986) Chinese Domestic Furniture in Photographs and Measured Drawings. pp XV-XXXIII, Dover Publications Inc.
Sullivan M. (2000) The Arts of China. University of California Press.
Davies C. (2011) Antiques Ltd .Retrieved from http://www.christiandaviesantiques.co.uk/CurrentStock/tabid/124/AntiqueType/View/Antique-ID/1888/A-19th-Century-Chinese-Hardwood-Armchair-C1850.aspx
